Nagaland ‘a fit case’ for President’s Rule: NPCC

Dimapur, August 21 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Sunday highlighted a number of concerns with regard to the law and order and financial status of Nagaland and said that “it is a fit case to impose President’s Rule and correct the mismanagement.”

In a press release, NPCC president K Therie stated that “Law and order has completely collapsed. People have lost safety and security to life and property. The writs of insurgents are feared more than the state Government.”  

He said that under President’s Rule, people can expect protection to life and property and expect the Constitution of India to be enforced. “People can also expect to sustain the developed assets and serve at least the bare minimum welfare schemes,” he said, while pointing out that there are no schemes for terminally sick people. “Delhi, Kolkata, Vellore and even Coimbatore’s Hospitals are loaded with Nagaland’s patients. The Government has no policy to help excepting the government employees. Civilians are ignored as if they do not belong to Nagaland,” he contended.

Stating that Nagaland’s finance is in a mess ever since Neiphiu Rio took over the reins, Therie claimed that the State Government’s woes were eased during the UPA rule when Dr Manmohan Singh the then Prime Minister gave Rs 726 crore of non plan and Rs 336 crore of plan as special assistance to make good the 6th ROP deficit. However, he alleged that the fund “was not paid to employees but their dues were pushed to GPF and huge funds were siphoned off which began the root of corruption in elections.”

In this connection, he cited a YouthNet study which estimated that Rs 600 crore was spent in the 2008 election. In 2013, it was estimated over Rs 900 crore and in 2018 it was estimated at Rs 1,060 crore, he maintained. 

Therie further accused the Finance Minister of “only looking at his commission from every department project,” without having any idea on how to improve the state’s finances and become self reliant like other States.

Among others, the NPCC President also claimed that ‘backdoor appointments’ have doubled the employees from 76,000 to 1,45,000. “This is consuming the bulk of resources as it has gone much above the estimate of the Finance Commission. Backdoor appointments have deprived all the reservation policies,” he added.

“The remaining development funds are shared by the ruling politicians and insurgent groups. Contractors complain that they were given hardly 30% for development. 70% deducted at source and shared between Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Advisers, Officers and several insurgent groups. Government Departments are paying 24% of their one month’s salary to insurgents,” the release stated.

On the misuse of funds, Therie claimed that the RD Department forces VDBs and VCCs to sign blank cheques. “From MGNREGA’s 2020-21 funds, out of Rs 483 crore receipts, about 60 crore were paid as wages at an average of 7 days instead of 100 days wages. It is alleged that 70% of material component money of MGNREGA are deducted,” he stated.

Citing the CAG report, Therie stated that there are numerous instances of money drawn without works. “Planning and Tribal Affairs Department projects are reported in CAG report as unverifiable projects,” he said, highlighting the construction of a Women Working Hostel for which money was drawn under the Tribal Affairs department. “This was found unverifiable as it was not constructed,” he stated.

He also alleged that CSS funds are mostly used for private construction and the Finance Commission award for road maintenance is skimmed through a single contractor. “Therefore, there are no roads in Nagaland. The most erratic power supply in the Nation would be in Nagaland. Every day there are more than a dozen breakdowns in power supply. There is no water supply in the capital and even in Dimapur, the commercial town,” Therie stated.

According to Therie, the State Government has a debt of more than 16,000 crore and every month, there is a shortfall for payment of salaries with some Departments not receiving salaries for several months. “Nagaland State budget was 23,000 crores. State’s own revenue has remained about 650 crores whereas smaller states are able to generate double of Nagaland State,” he pointed out.

Another point of concern that the NPCC mentioned was that “public funding is nil” in the state.

It said that Financial Institutions and Banks do not apply the same law in Nagaland as to the nation and the MSME 20 lakh crore investment and all papers that are notified by the Central Government are not applicable in Nagaland as per Banks and Financial Institutions.

“Rules of SBI and respective Financial Institutions are different and they do not respect the notifications of GoI that we read in the public domain. There is no such thing as CGS loan (Credit Guarantee Scheme), there is no such thing as Unsecured Loan (without security), there is no such loan than can revive sick industries,” he said, adding all that the Finance Minister and Prime Minister announce are not applied in Nagaland.

“PMRY loan selection is made politically as such, beneficiaries think it is a political gift. Selection of beneficiaries is not based on skill, commitment, feasibility report rather carbon copy projects are selected. As they do not pay back their loans, the Banks blame the general public,” the release stated.

Of the major projects in the state, Therie said that 200 crore for Mon Medical college was released; Kohima Medical College is forgotten, High Ccourt building construction case is with CBI, and the Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex at Dimapur which has been under construction since 2005 “is standing like the Colosseum of Rome.”

Buttressing his point, Therie further noted that Niti Aayog has graded Nagaland State as the Worst Performing state. “The Governor declared law and order has completely failed due to uncontrolled multi-parallel insurgent governments who extort while waiting for implementation of political solution that the PM has announced to the nation to have been resolved in 2015,” he added.
 



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